1. Field of the Invention
This present invention relates to a miniature flat flashlight. More particularly to a plastic card light which illuminates with one or more light-emitting diodes, powered by a single or multiple battery power supply, which m ay also be integrated into either a flat key card, or credit card.
2. Related Arts
A recent card light is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,990, assigned to the Eveready Battery Company which claims a single xe2x80x9cbuttonxe2x80x9d battery and spacer, sandwiched between the anode and cathode of a circular LED as a simple switching mechanism. The circular LED protrudes beyond the top and bottom edges of the card light encasement.
The LED mount taught in the Eveready patent requires xe2x80x9cforceful insertion of the LED leads in the holesxe2x80x9d formed therein. The battery must be mounted during the forceful insertion of the LED lead wires through tiny holes while positioning a battery and spacer both within a cavity for holding the battery and between the two lead wires. A LED which may be quickly and easily mounted while already positioned on the battery, without xe2x80x9cforcefulxe2x80x9d insertion of the LED or lead wires into a small hole is not taught or contemplated by the Eveready patent.
Another card light is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,762, issued to Hallgrimsson. The Hallgrimsson patent claims another card shaped flashlight which sandwiches an LED lead wire into a deformable plastic switch which may be lowered into contact with a single battery to switch xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d the power.
The Eveready and Hallgrimsson card lights are a small step towards an easily produced flat card light. However, to achieve efficient low cost production and/or increased illumination output, a card illuminator adapted for easy LED mounting, and which can accommodate one or more LEDs and multiple battery cells, while maintaining a thin profile, would be useful.
Plastic key blanks, formed integrally within the plane of a card are represented in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,835, issued to Almblad, teaches an integrated hinge element connecting a plastic key to a card thereby allowing the key to be displaced from the card and twisted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,343, issued to Miwa teaches an insert-molded key and flat card. The Miwa patent illustrates a hinge pin, insert molded into a flat card and used as the pivot point, whereby the key may be rotated out of plane with the card. Another key card, which provides a key connected to the card in a movable fashion, is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,510 issued to Botteon. The Botteon patent also suggests the placement of bar codes, alpha numeric coding,and the use of a magnetic strip, which can store readable data.
The invention herein is a thin credit card flashlight. In some embodiments the card light is no thicker than the LED. The card light may be disposable with the battery supply fixed within a battery and LED receiving chamber by adhesive, sonic weld, glue, or other substantially permanent fixing agent under a chamber cover; or the card light may have a replaceable battery source held in place under a removable chamber cover. A momentary on/off switch is integrated within the device. Certain terminology will be used in the following specification,for convenience and reference and not as a limitation, brief definitions are provided below:
A. xe2x80x9cButton battery xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cbutton batteriesxe2x80x9d as used herein refer to one or more coin-type battery including but not limited to batteries containing lithium, and with a thickness of between about 0.2.5 and about 3.0 millimeters and a diameter of between about 10 and about 40 millimeters.
B. xe2x80x9cLEDxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to a light emitting diodes, circular, oval, square, flat, rectangular and flat. LED also includes, but is not limited to, those light emitting diodes which produce a constant output or a blinking output, in a narrow wavelength associated with a specific spectral region, (visible or non-visible) such as red light, blue light, or yellow light, IR, UV and those which produce a wide spectrum output comprising more than one distinct spectral region of light.
C. xe2x80x9cData storage regionxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to barcodes, a magnetic datastrips, optical strips, 2D data matrix symbologies, holograms, holographs, dataglyphs, serial numbers, alpha numeric symbols, symbols, and characters.
D. xe2x80x9cRepresentational materialxe2x80x9d as used herein refers to information, picture, graphics, codes, glyphs, icons, trademarks, logos, visual patterns, art, photographs, digital images, promotional literature, symbols or characters.
In some embodiments the LED cathode and anode lead wires comprise the momentary switch, with one lead positioned in-line but remote from the battery supply. The remote lead is separated from the battery supply either by a spacer or integral body spring, until the spacer or integral spring is deformed under pressure thereby switching xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d the current. In other embodiments either the anode or cathode lead is off-set from the battery supply and a conductive member, either mounted to the chamber cover or held above the offset lead wire, is used to connect the battery supply to the LED.
Promotional material may be stenciled onto the flat card light (FIGS. 1E and 2C) plastic keys may be integrated into the card light housing forming a combined card light and key holder (FIG. 3). The card light may also be integrated into a credit card assembly to provide a combination light and credit card (FIG. 4).
A unique tabbed LED (FIG. 1A) has also been developed for this card light. The tabbed LED forms a latch which mates with a catch on the card light casing. The direct mount of the LED to the casing, without having to insert lead wires through holes, allows for rapid assembly and simplifies battery placement and switch assembly.
The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to configuration, and method of operation, and the advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following specification, abstract, claims and accompanying drawings.